TAK 1668, Smågårde 3 (FHM 4296/2138)

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1 TAK 1668, Smågårde 3 (FHM 4296/2138) Analysis of waterlogged archaeobotanical samples from pits Fenna Feijen Afdeling for Konservering og Naturvidenskab, Moesgaard Museum Nr

2 TAK 1668, Smågårde 3 (FHM 4296/2138). Analysis of waterlogged archaeobotanical samples from pits Fenna Feijen, cand. mag. Introduction The samples were collected by Peter Mose Jensen and Marianne Høyem Andreasen from the Department of Archaeological Science and Conservation, Moesgaard Museum, during a visit to the excavation of TAK 1668, Smågårde 3 1, which was excavated by Kroppedal Museum. Archaeologist Maria Lisette Jacobsen was in charge of the excavation. The samples were collected from large pits, surrounded by a settlement that has been typologically dated to the Roman Iron Age The function of the pits is unclear, they were originally interpreted as wells or pits used for the retting of flax. Screening results During the screening of the waterlogged samples from Smågårde 3, plant stalks resembling those of hør (Linum usitatissimum) were found in two of the seven samples (see table 1). Therefore, it was decided to analyse sample JP311 and JP313, in order to shed more light on the function of the pits. For illustrations of the stratigraphy of the pits, see fig JP-NR A-NR Prøvesbeskrivelse EGNET TIL ANALYSE? JP311 A1660 Vådprøve fra anlæggets bundlæg JP313 A1660 Lille bløkprøve med strå fra bunden af opfyldslaget JP317 A1518 Vådprøve fra lag 1 JP318 A1518 Vådprøve fra lag 2 JP319 A1518 Vådprøve fra lag 4 JP320 A28 Vådprøve fra bundlag JP321 A1218 Vådprøve Table 1. results of the screening EGNET TIL C- 14? KORN FRØ ja nej ja nej nej nej 0 5 X nej nej nej nej nej nej 1 2 x nej nej 1 3 x TRÆKUL ØVRIGE BEMÆRKNINGER Fragments of cf. Linum usitatissimum (Hør) stalks. Chenopodiaceae, Plantago sp. Polygonaceae, Asteraceae, Stalks of cf. Linum usitatissimum(hør). Stellaria sp., Polygonum sp., Lemna, Chenopodium sp. Chenopodiaceae, Urtica sp. Lamiaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Lemna sp., many Daphnia eggs No archaeobotanical material Hordeum vulgare (Byg), charred Chenopodiaceae, fish bone, charred cereal grain 1 TAK 1668, Smågårde 3 (FHM 4296/2138), Ishøj Sogn, Ishøj Kommune, Region Hovedstaden, Stednr , UTM-koordinater / zone: 32 1

3 Sample processing The purpose of this investigation was identifying the function of samples JP311 and JP313 from pit A1660. JP311 is a sample from the bottom layer of A1660. JP313 is a small block sample with straw from the bottom of the fill layer. Sample JP313 was completely analysed, as the sample was only 250 ml. At first, the sample was carefully excavated with a knife, to check for concentrations of aligned fibre plant stalks. From sample JP311, 500 ml. was subsampled. The soil from the samples was wet-sieved, using a sieve with 0.25 mm mesh size. Subsequently, the residue was analysed under a stereomicroscope with an enlargement of maximum 400x. Identification of the stalks and fibres was attempted using the method described by Körber-Grohne (1967) and on the Sheffield archaeobotany wiki. Stalks were also compared to modern flax stalks from the reference collection of the Department of Archaeological Science and Conservation, Moesgaard Museum. Microscope photographs were taken of some of the plants stems and their fibres. sample number sample size ml JP313 JP311 Dansk navn Cultivated Dyrkede avgrøder Cerealia indet. bran 1 Korn indet, klid Cerealia indet. charred 1 3 Korn indet., forkullet Hordeum vulgare. charred 1 1 Byg forkullet Linum usitatissimum seed 2 2 Hørfrø Linum usitatissimum capsule fragment 1 Hør kapsel fragment Possibly collected Mulig indsamlede Corylus avellana 1 Hassel-nøddeskal Quercus sp. 1 Eg Rubus caesius 2 Korbær Rubus idaeus 1 Hindbær Crop weeds/ruderal/grassland Agerjord/ruderat/ græsland Achillea millefolium 1 Almindelig røllike Brassica nigra 1 Sort sennep Chenopodium album 1 Hvidmelet gåsefod Chenopodium ficifolium 2 2 Figenbladet gåsefod Descurainia sophia 3 Finbladet vejsennep Euphorbia helioscopa 1 Skærmvortemælk Fumaria officinalis 2 1 Læge-jordrøg Hyoscyamus niger 3 Bulmeurt Plantago major 2 Glat vejbred Polygonum aviculare Vej-pileurt Polygonum lapathifolia/maculosa 1 3 Bleg pileurt/fersken-pileurt Sonchus asper 5 17 Ru svinemælk Spergula arvensis 1 1 Almindelig spergel Stellaria graminea 1 Græsbladet fladstjerne Stellaria media 7 4 Almindelig fuglegræs Thlaspi arvense 2 1 Almindelig pengeurt Tripleurospermum maritimum 10 8 Strand-kamille Urtica urens 3 4 Liden nælde 2

4 Wetland/aquatic Fugtig bund/åbent vand Alisma plantago-aquatica 1 Vejbred-skeblad Bidens sp. 2 5 Brøndsel Bidens tripartita 1 Fliget brøndsel Characeae 4 Kransnålalge Eleocharis sp. 1 Sumpstrå Filipendula ulmaria 1 Mjødurt Juncus sp Siv Lemna sp Andemad Unclassified Variabel økologi Asteraceae 1 1 Kurvblomst-familien Atriplex sp. 3 3 Mælde Brassicaceae 14 8 Korsblomst-familien Carex sp. 2 2 Star Caryophyllaceae 1 Nellike-familien Chenopodiaceae 22 Salturt-familien Chenopodium glaucum/rubrum Blågrøn gåsefod/rød gåsefod Galeopsis sp. 1 Hanekro Lamiaceae 2 Læbeblomst-familien Montia sp. 1 Vandarve Potentilla sp 2 Potentil Ranunculus sp. 1 Ranunkel Rumex sp. 2 1 Skræppe Solanum dulcamara 4 3 Bittersød natskygge Trifolium sp. 1 Kløver Urtica dioica 3 Stor nælde Other remains Andre fund plant stems with or without fibres xx xx Plante-stængler med eller uden fibre charcoal x xx Trækul water flea egg x Dafnie æg fish bone x Fiskeben ostracoda x Ostrakoda moss x Mosser wood x x Træ Table 2. Results of the analysis. All remains are waterlogged, unless mentioned otherwise. Plant macrofossils were counted, while the number of other remains was estimated. X means a small amount and xxxxx means a lot. The species are called by their Latin names as well as their Danish names. Plant remains of which the identification is not certain are marked with cf., indicating that they resemble a certain genus or species. sp. means that the seed has been identified to genus level only. Results and discussion Retting-pits are water-filled pits, in which fibre plant stems are placed in order to rot. Fibres are detached from the stem by the rotting process. Because of the bad smell produced by the rotting process, they were located at some distance from settlements. Retting-pits have recently been identified at several Danish sites, ranging in age from 800 B.C. to A.D

5 Remains of fibre plants found at these sites are hør, nælde and hamp (Andresen and Karg, 2011). Distinguishing a retting pit from a water well may not always be easy. After wells fell out of use, they could be used for dumping rubbish, which also included plant material. Plant species found in the Smågårde samples from A1660 can be classified as cultivated plants, ruderal plants, marsh plants and aquatic plants (see table 2). Cultivated plants found include charred cereal grains, some of which could be identified as byg (Hordeum vulgare) as well as uncharred seeds and an uncharred capsule fragment of hør. Presence of flax seeds or capsules is one of the characteristics of flax-retting pits. But the seeds could also have been used as food. There are seeds from stor nælde (Urtica dioica) present, which might be an indication of nettle-retting, but it can be more certainly assumed to be a part of the natural vegetation surrounding the pit. Edible plants from Smågårde 3 include eg (Quercus sp.), hassel (Corylus avellana), korbær (Rubus caesius) and hindbær (Rubus idaeus). The seeds of the edible wild plants could have been from the surrounding vegetation, or deliberately thrown into the pit by humans as waste. Agricultural weeds, grassland and ruderal plants are the largest group of plants in the assemblage. The presence of a few seeds of bulmeurt (Hyoscyamus niger) is interesting, because it was an important medicinal plant in the past (Brøndegaard, 1978). Nevertheless, it is more likely to have grown as a weed around the settlement. The weed species are indicative of open, nutrient rich, disturbed terrain as well as agricultural fields. The seeds of agricultural weeds and ruderal plants are probably derived from the natural vegetation around the pit, although an alternative explanation is that the cultivated plants and agricultural weeds found in the pits are waste from crop processing or cooking. Marsh plants could have grown in the damp environment surrounding the pit. Aquatic species found in the samples are andemad (Lemna sp.), kransnålalger (Characeae) and dafnie (Daphnia sp.). The presence of dafnie and kransnålalger could be an argument for the use of the pits as wells, because these species prefer clear water. The water in a hør retting pit would have been murky and smelly. The high amount of andemad seeds in the analysed samples could also be an indication that the pits were used as wells, because it may not have been possible for it to grow on water that was used for flax retting. Nevertheless, the possibility remains that aquatic species ended up in the pits if water from a lake or river was used to fill the pits. The plant species and other remains from Smågårde 3 make it more likely that the pit was used as a well than as a hør retting-pit. Alternatively, the well may have been used for multiple purposes, either as a well or as a retting pit, in different time periods. No concentrations of aligned plant stalks were found in sample JP313. If concentrations of aligned plant stalks are found, this is a sure sign that the pit was used as a retting pit, because bundles of plant stalks were placed inside retting pits. On the other hand, if the retting process was successful, all the plant stalks were taken out. They would only have been left in the pit by accident, or if something went wrong with the retting process. If the stalks were taken out after rotting, this would presumably leave behind just a few stem fragments and seeds. Thus, the absence of bundles of fibre plant stalks is not always an argument against the pit being used for retting purposes. (Andresen and Karg 2011). Plant stalks with diverse morphology were found in both JP313 and JP311 (see fig. 7 and 13). Stems from JP311 and JP313 were compared to modern hør stems in the reference collection of the department of Archaeological Science and Conservation. These stems had 4

6 parallel ridges on their surface and straight fibres. Some of the stalks from the samples had a similar morphology. Hør has thin stems, with a diameter not broader than 2 millimetres. Some of the stems from TAK 1668 were around 2 mm in diametre, while others were thicker. The base of a hør stem, just above the root, is curved (Sheffield University archaeobotany wiki page, accessed 13/02/2017). Some of the stem fragments were curved. But this characteristic is not unique to hør. One of the stalks from JP313 was very different, as the fibres were arranged in a reticulate pattern, resembling that of hamp (see fig. 12). With a diameter of 4 mm, it was also very thick, compared to the other stems. In cross-section, hør stems are hollow. Hamp and stor nælde also have a hollow in the centre. A cross section was taken from one of the hollow stems from JP311 (see fig. 8). Some of the stems in JP313 and JP311 also had a hollow in the centre. Nælde stems are square, while the stems of the other species are round. No square stems were present in the assemblage from Smågårde 3. Fibre plants that are most likely to have been used in the past are hør, hamp and stor nælde. However, it cannot be excluded that the stems from TAK 1668 are from other fibre plants. Other fibre plant species were not described in Körber-Gröhne (1967). All in all, based on the morphology of the stems, it cannot be determined to what species the stems from Smågårde 3 belong. Many of the plants stems from Smågårde 3 had fibres. Fibres of hør, hamp and stor nælde can be distinguished from each other using high magnification, from 200X up to 400x. Use of polarized light reveals patterns in the fibres that are distinctive for each of the three fibre plant species. Flax has small diagonal lines, both left and right oriented. Nettle has a coarse pattern of left-orientated diagonal lines. Hemp has no spiral striping pattern in phasecontrast light (Körber-Gröhne, 1967) However, clear patterns were not visible in the fibres from Smågårde (see fig. 9, 10, 11, 14 and 15). This could be due to the preservation condition of the material. Therefore, it was also not possible to identify the fibre plant species based on the morphology of the fibres. Conclusion Plant stems with fibres were found in the samples from TAK 1668, Smågårde 3. Unfortunately, identification of the stems and fibres could not be done with certainty. A few uncarbonized hør seeds and a hør seed capsule fragment were present. Therefore, it is possible that the pits were used for retting hør, or other fibre plant stems, but based on the other macrofossils in the samples it is more likely that they were used as wells. Perhaps the well was used for different purposes in different time periods. 5

7 Literature Brøndegaard, V.J., Folk og flora Dansk etnobotanik. Rosenkilde og Bagger. Körber-Grohne, U., Geobotanische Untersuchungen auf der Feddersen Wierde. Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH, Wiesbaden. Karg, S., Andresen, S.T., Retting pits for textile fibre plants at Danish prehistoric sites dated between 800 BC 1050 AD. In: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, Vol. 20, p

8 Excavation drawings and photos Figur 1 Anlæg 28 og 1518 Figur 2 Anlæg

9 Figur 3 Anlæg Figur 4 Anlæg

10 Figur 5 Anlæg A1660 Figur 6 Taking samples from TAK

11 Photos of stems and fibres Figur 7 Various stems from JP311 Figur 8 A cross-section of a stem from JP311, showing the hollow centre 10

12 Figur 9 Fibres from JP311 under polarised light Figur 10 Fibres from JP311 under polarized light 11

13 Figur 11 A fibre from JP311 under polarised light Figur 12 A stem from JP313 12

14 Figur 13 Various stems from JP313 Figur 14 Fibres from JP313 under polarised light 13

15 Figur 15 Fibres from JP313 under polarized light Planterne De dyrkede og indsamlede arter Corylus avellana Hasselnød. Busk, op til 10 m, oftest mangestammet. Marts-april. Næringsrig bund i lyse skove, skovbryn, krat og hegn. Almindelig dog sjælden i Vestjylland (Hansen 1993) Hordeum vulgare L. Seksradet byg (nøgen + avnklædt) cm høj. Højden kan have ændret sig på grund af avling. (Mossberg & Stenberg 2005) Linum usitatissimum L. Almindelig Hør. Højde cm. (Hansen 1993) Rubus caesius L. Korbær. Blomstrer juni-september. Sætter bær. Skove, krat, hegn, gærder, strandskrænter, markskel (Hansen 1993) Rubus idaeus L. Hindbær. 1-1,5 m høj. Blomstrer juni. Sætter bær. Skove, krat, skovrydninger (Hansen 1993) Quercus sp. Eg, bærer frø i form af agern. Træ op til 35 m. Maj-juni. Oprindelig almindelig i løvskove, krat og hegn (Hansen 1993) Identificerede planter Achillea millefolium cm. Juni-Oktober. Tør-fugtig, næringsrig, sand eller humusbund på enger, græsplaner, vejkanter, overdrev, strandenge og ruderater. Alisma plantago-aquatica, cm. Juni-September. Ret næringsrigt vand i lavvandede søer, damme, kær, og rolige vandløb. 14

16 Brassica nigra, cm. Juni-Augustus. Ruderater og kalkgrave. Bidens tripartita, cm. Juli-Oktober. Våd, gerne kvælstofrig bund i damme, åer, grøfter, gadekær, på agerjord og ved søbredder. Chenopodium album L. Hvidmelet Gåsefod cm høj (30-70 cm), gennemsnitlig omkring frø pr. plante, dog frodige eksemplarer helt op til frø. Blomstrer og frømodning juni-oktober. Udpræget sommerannuel, meget skadelig ukrudt i vårsædsmarker. Især på velgødet jord. Omkring bebyggelse, agerjord og ruderater. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993, Jessen & Lind 1922) Chenopodium ficifolium cm. Juli-Oktober. Ruderater. Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb. Finbladet Vejsennep, Barberforstand cm, blomstrer juni-august, sommerannuel. Omkring bebyggelse og ruderater, strandvolde og tanglinier. (Hansen 1993) Eleocharis sp. Flerårige sumpplanter. Euphorbia helioscopia L. Skærm-Vortemælk cm (10-40 cm) høj stængel, omkring 650 frø pr. plante. Blomstrer i maj-september. Udpræget sommerannuel. Optræder i åbne og/eller sent såede sommerafgrøder. Agerjord, haver og ruderater. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993). Filipendula ulmaria cm. Juni-Augustus. Fugtig-våd bund på enge, i ellesumpe, askeskove, og ved vandløb. Fumaria officinalis L. Læge-Jordrøg cm høj (10-40 cm) frø pr. plante. Blomstrer maj-august. Sommerannuel, kan dog klare sig i milde vintre. Ret almindelig som ukrudt i forårssåede afgrøder, især i vårsæd på gode kalkholdige jorder. Agerjord. (Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993) Hyoscyamus niger cm. Juni -September. Fugtig, næringsrig bund på strandvolde, ruderater, ved ruiner og gamle beboelser. Juncus sp. Ofte på fugtige voksesteder. Lemna sp. Små, frit flydende vandplanter. Plantago major L. Glat Vejbred cm høj, omkring frø pr. plante (op til frø pr. plante Melander 1998). Blomstrer maj-august. Flerårig. Kan pletvis optræde talrigt i tynde kornmarker, navnlig på våd og fast jord. (Frederiksen et al. 1950, Jessen & Lind 1922, Hansen 1993) Polygonum aviculare L. Vej Pileurt cm (10-60 cm) lavtvoksende med lange stængler, omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer og frømodning juli-oktober. Typisk sommerannuel. Fortrinsvis lerede jorder, hyppigst i åbne vintersædmarker og hørmarker, sjældnere i vårsæd. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993, Jessen & Lind 1922) Solanum dulcamara L. Bittersød natskygge cm. Halvbusk. Blomstrer juni-juli. Bær ægformede, skinnende røde. Fugtige kratskove, rørsumpe, hvide klitter (Hansen 1993) Sonchus asper Ru svinemælk cm høj. Blomstrer juli-oktober. Næringsrig- og kvælstofsrig bund på ruderater, vejkanter, agerjord (Mossberg & Stenberg 2005) Spergula arvensis L. Alm. Spergel cm (10-30 cm) høj. Omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer og frømodner juni-september. Frøene spirer både forår og efterår, men de efterårsspirende fryser som regel bort om vinteren og kan kun overleve meget milde vintre. Kan optræde uhyre talrigt i vårsædsmarker, især på lette kalktrængende jorder. Værdsat i stubmark som foder til fårene. Nærringsfattig bund, agerjord, vejkanter, ruderater, 15

17 grusgrave, dyrket på hede-egnene (Brøndegaard 1979; Frederiksen et al. 1950; Hansen 1993; Jessen & Lind 1922) Stellaria graminea cm. Juni-September. Tør, næringsfattig, humusrig bund på overdrev, skrænter, i grønklitter og langs veje. Stellaria media (L.) Mill. Alm. Fuglegræs cm (5-20 cm) lange nedliggende stængler, omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer og modner frø næsten hele året. Både sommerannuel og vinterannuel. Danmarks hyppigst forekommende ukrudtsart. Planten kan optræde meget talrig i kornmarker. Agerjord, haver, tanglinier. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993) Thlaspi arvense L. Almindelig pengeurt cm høj. Blomstrer maj-juni. Agerjord, ruderater (Hansen 1993) Tripleurospermum inodorum Schultz Bip. (Tripleurospermum maritimum) Lugtløs Kamille cm (30-60 cm) (30-70 cm) høj. Mellem og frø pr. plante, gennemsnitlig frø. Blomstrer i juni-oktober. Oftest toårig, undertiden vinterannuel, sjældnere sommerannuel eller flerårig. Meget ondartet ukrudt i frøafgrøder, kan optræde talrigt i tynde vintersædmarker. Agerjord, vejkanter, skrænter og ruderater. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993, Jessen & Lind 1922, Korsmo 1926) Urtica dioica L. Stor Nælde cm høj. Omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer juliaugust. Skadelig i varige græsmarker på muldrig eller moseagtig jord. Askeskove, hegn, vejkanter, ruderater. (Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993) Urtica urens L. Liden nælde cm høj. Blomstrer juni-september. Agerjorde, haver, ruderater. Svært adskillelige planter Persicaria maculosa L. Fersken-pileurt cm høj, omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer og frømodner juli-september. Rent sommerannuel (kan også forekomme i vintersæd, Melander 1998). Forholder sig som Persicaria lapathifolia. Agerjord, ofte vandlidende, ruderater. (Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993, Jessen & Lind 1922) og Persicaria lapathifolia L. Bleg pileurt cm (25-80 cm) høj, omkring frø pr. plante. Blomstrer og modner frø i juli-september. Udpræget sommerannuel plante. Kan være meget skadelig i vårsæden, især i lave noget vandlidende marker, hvor den kan forekomme meget talrigt, kan også forekomme i vintersæden. (Melander 1998, Frederiksen et al. 1950, Hansen 1993) Litteraturliste Brøndegaard, Vagn J. 1979: Folk og Flora. Dansk etnobotanik. Tønder Frederiksen, H. & P. Grøntved, H.I. Petersen 1950: Ukrudt og ukrudtsbekæmpelse. Det Kongelige Danske Landhusholdningsselskab. København Hansen, K. 1993: Dansk feltflora. 1. udgave, 6. oplag. København. Høst, O. 1982: Danske Kulturplanter. DSR Forlag. Jessen, K. & J. Lind 1922: Det Danske Markukrudts Historie. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter, naturvidensk. og mathem. Afd., 8 Række, VIII. København. 16

18 Korsmo, E. 1926: Ogräs. Ogräsarternes liv och kampen mot dem i nutidens jordbruk. Stockolm. Körber-Grohne, U. 1995: Nutzpflanzen in Deutschland von der Vorgeschichte bis heute. Das kompentente Nachschlagewerk. Hamburg Melander, B. 1998: Beskrivelse af ukrudtsplanterne. I: Ukrudtsbekæmpelse i landbruget. Forskningscenter Flakkebjerg. Afdeling for Plantebeskyttelse. 3. udgave. pp Mossberg, B. L. Stenberg & S. Ericsson 2005: Den Store Nordiske Flora. G.E.C. Gads Forlag. København. 17

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